Traveling Exhibit Highlights Founding Father John Adams

The traveling panel exhibit "John Adams Unbound" will be on display at Illinois State University's Milner Library from Wednesday, Sept. 2 to Friday, Oct. 16.  The free exhibit explores Adams's personal library - a collection of 3,500 books willed by Adams to the people of Massachusetts and deposited in the Boston Public Library in 1894.

An opening reception for the exhibit will be held at Milner Library on Friday, Sept. 11 from 6-8 p.m.  The event is free and open to the public.  Public lectures examining Adams' political and diplomatic career will be presented in conjunction with the exhibit during September and October.  For a complete list of speakers and more information on the exhibit visit www.library.ilstu.edu/johnadams/           

Adams' remarkable collection of books provides first-hand insight into how he shaped American history and how he was shaped through his lifelong dedication to reading and books. Through photo-reproductions of these annotated volumes, viewers will witness how Adams wrestled with intellectual and political ideas at every stage in his long life, from his boyhood to his time as president.

"John Adams Unbound" is organized by the Boston Public Library and the American Library Association Public Programs Office and is made possible by a major grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities.